Your complete guide to Day 5 at the Minnesota State Fair

Amelia, Frank, Chris and Mike did their best to take aim at some targets provided by the Boy Scouts at the Minnesota State Fair.

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – The Great Minnesota Get-Together brings in visitors and vendors from all across the state. But it truly is an international affair.

We wanted to know where fairgoers travel from? Good Question. Our Jeff Wagner learned the sweet treats and quirky items have roots around the world.

There's many fishes in the sea of people that flow through the Minnesota State Fair, most of whom call this state home. But with tens of thousands – sometimes hundreds of thousands – lining up for food and learning about livestock can't all be locals.

Back in 2019, tickets were sold to all 50 states, and to nearly 30 countries, including Canada, France, India, Japan and more.

Carmel Dyer and her luscious potatoes hail from Australia, but she now calls California home.

"The Minnesota State Fair is probably the number one fair in the country," Dyer said.

Georgia resident Kim Underwood has been selling custom toe rings at the fair for 14 year.

"A lot of us travel a long distance to come here because it's amazing," Underwood said

A new ride on the Mighty Midway flies thrill seekers through lights and music.

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- It's State Patrol day at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Troopers are on hand to talk traffic, safety, education, and meet with Minnesotans from across the state.

Minnesota State Patrol day began back in 2004, but since then the duties of state troopers have expanded.

WCCO's Reg Chapman spoke with the chief of the State Patrol to get his thoughts on how troopers are called upon more to help with public safety.  

Walking the grounds of the State Fair, Col. Matt Langer is reminded of how his troopers are more visible to the public now than ever before.

"Our number one mission is traffic safety, that's never changed, that's still just true [today] as it was in 1929," Langer said. "But we are doing lots of things to try and help out across the metro, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota, here at the State Fair." 

The Minnesota State Patrol now plays a vital role in enhancing public safety by joining forces with other law enforcement agencies.

"I think if we are honest in Minnesota there is no agency big enough to do public safety alone," Langer said. "We work together, we have to work together, that's what the public expects of us, and if we do that, we're better." 

State Patrol troopers and the tools they use play a big role.

In recent years, troopers have been called upon to protect the Minnesota Sate Capitol or assist during a the unrest in the Twin Cities after the murder of George Floyd. 

"We can provide a lot of value, so whether it's our helicopter, our canine drug-sniffing dog, our crash reconstruction specialist, commercial vehicle inspections, we can do a lot of things that promote public safety, both from education and enforcement perspectives, " Langer said.

The State Patrol helicopter is a big asset, it has a 97 percent apprehension rate when used in a pursuit. It also helps identify those responsible for street racing, a big problem across the metro.

"We've been attacking the street racing problem all year long, and a lot of other agencies are helping us. Our helicopter really is the number one strategy right now," Langer said.

Troopers now must be multi-skilled.

Not only do they work with specialized units designed to identify and arrest people responsible for the rise in gun violence, they don't lose sight of their primary duty, keeping the state's highways and road safe.

"The number of people driving 100 mph or more is about double what it used to be, so we are out there in full force, and we're making a difference," Langer said. "Traffic fatalities are down over last year." 

A new cadet class is underway, and the State Patrol is looking for new candidates starting next week.

The Minnesota State Patrol is actively seeking to diversify its ranks, especially looking for female candidates.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota State Fair is lined with hundreds of food stands, but one of its most enduring food establishments is a brick-and-mortar sit down meal.

This year, Hamline Church Dining Hall celebrates its 125th anniversary.

"We heard a lot about it, so we started eating here and never quit," Ron Thorkelson, a Hamline fan from Granite Falls, told WCCO. "We like the food, and it hasn't changed."

Indeed, the foundation of what Hamline is about hasn't changed, even if the menu, prices and location on the fairgrounds have been modified.

The dining hall dates back to 1897 when a group of women from the Hamline Methodist Episcopal Church Ladies Aid Society originally sold sandwiches and coffee. 

Today the well-known delicacies include the Hamloaf, and new this year is blueberry pancakes courtesy of Al's in Dinkeytown.

"As food trends change, we change with it, but keep some main core things," Jan Uzlik, one of dozens of volunteers who help staff the dining hall, explained to WCCO. "Wraps became a trend so we added wraps."

Uzlik, an urgent care nurse, has been volunteering at the dining hall for more than two decades.

"I'm helping people have fun, because where I go, they don't come see me for fun," she said. "So this gives me great joy to help people have fun and joy and some pleasure in their life. We're glad everybody is here, and we're glad they come in the door. That means a lot."

Mom always said don't play with your food, but we did it anyway! Our friends at JonnyPops helped us with a new game: Stick Toss!

For a lot of us, the Minnesota State Fair is the first, or only, time we come face-to-face with farm animals.

Heading into the barns is a great way to learn about the importance of livestock to Minnesota. That includes this year's WCCO Kid Reporter, 8-year-old Manning, who takes us to the cow barn!

A new women's soccer team has taken the state, and country, by storm! The Minnesota Aurora FC are a woman-led, community-owned club that had an incredible first season.

Team founder Allie Schmidt introduces us to the team's new mascot – Roary!

A first-time vendor at the Minnesota State Fair this year is introducing their culture through their food.

Union Hmong Kitchen started as a food truck several years ago and they just opened a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Minneapolis. 

As Marielle Mohs shows us, now they're securing their stay at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

The 4-H Green Superheroes of Science are part of a new competition: The Plastic Sculpture Challenge.

They're repurposing, or upcycling, single-use plastics into an amazing piece of art.

Last year, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community was the first tribal government to have an exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair. This year, they're back with more information for us all to learn about their culture.

Andy Vig, director of the SMSC's cultural center Hoċokata Ti, is available to talk about the names and cultural significance of the Dakota moon calendar, as well as why the tribe feels it is important to bring Native American representation to the fair.

Day 4 attendance at the Minnesota State Fair easily bested the figures that were reported in 2021, but fell significantly short of the nearly 30-year record set back in 1994.

On Sunday, 161,252 were reported to have gone through the turnstiles at the fair. In 2021, that figure was 149,247. However, in 2019, Day 4's attendance was a whopping 191,524.

Back in 1994, the attendance for the first Sunday at the fair tipped the scales at 209,969.

As of now, there have been 593,975 admissions to the 2021 fair, which each day tracking above what the figures were in 2021.

A.J. Hilton is back with more new food from the Minnesota State Fair. Check out the feature on French Meadow below.

If you missed it, Monday morning saw A.J. Hilton and Rebecca Kolls venturing into the Moo Booth to see all the cattle the state has to offer.

Furthermore, they closed out WCCO Mid-Morning by sharing their best cattle calls, which surprisingly did not touch off a cattle stampede. What a relief!

The new food is available at Aldo's Burgers, and if our Instagram feed is any indication it's certainly among the most photogenic of new fair foods! But how does it taste? A.J. Hilton and Rebecca Kolls taste a sample.

Also, they try the Snack House's new fair treat: Deep-Fried Ice Cream!

Stop by, watch a show, play live games and pick up our free fans and bags!

• 9:00 a.m. WCCO-TV Booth opens Mid-Morning LIVE
• 10:00 a.m. Since We Last Met Showing
• 10:30 a.m. Bag Giveaway
• 11:00 a.m. Talent Meet and Greet
• 11:15 a.m. Since We Last Met Showing
• 3:00 p.m. Talent Meet and Greet
• 3:15 p.m. Since We Last Met Showing
• 3:30 p.m. Bag Giveaway
• 4:00 p.m. '4 at the Fair' LIVE
• 5:00 p.m. 5pm Newscast LIVE
• 6:00 p.m. 6pm Newscast LIVE
• 6:35p.m. Talent Meet and Greet
• 6:45 p.m. Since We Last Met Showing
• 7:00 p.m. Bag Giveaway
• 9:00 p.m. WCCO-TV Booth closes
• 10:00 p.m. 10pm Newscast LIVE

More on the WCCO booth right here.